Rachel Most

Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Programs & Professor

My primary research interests are concerned with the study of change over time in prehistoric economic and settlement systems. I am particularly concerned with the study of spatial and technological organization of prehistoric foraging societies, the impact of the adoption of agricultural strategies by foraging societies, and the role of hunting in emergent complex societies. My avenue into the study of these processes has been the systematic study of stone tool procurement, production, and use. My field research has been primarily in the Southwestern United States, where I worked in the Mogollon Rim (Pinedale/Snowflake) and southern desert areas of Arizona. Prior to my research in Arizona, I was involved in historic and prehistoric archaeological research in the northeastern United States, and spent one year on the staff of the South Carolina Institute for anthropology and Archaeology. Since coming to Virginia I have also become involved in historical archaeology, serving as a statistical and computer consultant to the archaeological program at Monticello, and compiling and editing two books on historic archaeology. I am presently an assistant dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and teach one course each semester in Anthropology.